With his portraits and landscapes, Thomas Gainsborough can be considered as the supreme painter of Sensibility. Both his subject matter and his painting technique stressed the ideals of spontaneity, delicacy and emotional involvement.

This portrait shows the famous dancer Giovanna Baccelli. Her costume, make-up and pose come from Les Amans, a ballet she performed in London during the 1780–1 season. A contemporary newspaper critic said the portrait was ‘as the original, light airy and elegant’.